Senior Project Research Paper

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Tori Charles

Baxter/Bennett

British Literature

5 October 2016

Animation Over the Years

The process of animation has changed over the years. From hand-drawn art to creating 3D models, how animation is created now has changed a great amount from the past. Throughout the years, iconic cartoons such as Mickey Mouse and many Disney movies have impacted lives in a noticeable way. Everyone knows who Mickey Mouse is. He is one of the very first examples of cartoon animation. The list goes on and on. However, many do not know the process that goes behind making these characters move.

Animation is more complex than people think. According to the article “Animation”, “Animation is a compelling and extraordinarily adaptive form of audio-visual expression that is highly effective in fusing moving images and sounds together to tell stories and explain ideas” (Selby). Animation is an important part of everyone’s lives. Although it looks easy, the method behind making the mouth or arm of a character move can take a long time depending on how it is being done. According to Selby, “Animation permits and encourages the creation of cinematic visual trickery by making unreal events seem real and transporting an audience to new places of discovery.” Animation allows the viewer to see a world that could be unimaginable but can be shown through a cartoon. A lot of people do not understand what it takes to be an animator.

Although society do not realize it, cartoons and animations are present in the lives of all people, even if not in the form of a television show. Popular cartoons usually come with merchandise such as, “George Jetson lunch boxes to Minnie Mouse brooches” (Cartoon California). Animations for cartoons are so popular that merchandise of any character can be found on any item. From purses to clothes to bedsheets, it is hard to ignore the faces of beloved cartoon characters. Disney started it all. “Landmarks in Animation History” states that, “On September 19, 1928 Steamboat Willie was shown for the first time in New York.” Even a little more than eighty-eight years later, the world still remembers this very memorable character. It does not matter the age, from forty-eight years old to seven years old, everyone has been influenced by their favorite cartoon character.

There is an art to animation. One type is hand-drawn animation that now does not always meet up with some of the expectations set for it. According to one article, “Disney’s recent slate of hand-drawn movies had performed miserably at the world wide box office, with the final failure of the 2004 barnyard feature Home on the Range” (Hand-Drawn Animation Still Has Place in Cinema). Technology was not always used for animation. In the past and sometimes now, animation was drawn by hand. Hand-drawn animation is rarely used now because it is tedious. An animator who draws his or her animations by hand must draw each frame separately. However, those who created their art by hand slowly lost their jobs. In fact, “they found pencil work in other areas, but you can’t really stop doing that if that’s your life” (Hand-Drawn Animation Still Has Place in Cinema). To some people, the art of hand drawing animation is what their heart is set on. There is a lot of misunderstandings about the art and effort that is put into creating a cartoon shown on television.

Now, animation is created using the latest technology. According to MacNeill, “The process is called computer animation, and it’s a high-tech, virtual reality exercise that uses some of the most powerful computers to convince you that the computer generated imagery you are watching is the real thing.” In today’s society, everything is done electronically. Computer animation has revolutionized the world of animation with this technology. Animation has come a long way. Animations that would once take months to create would now take weeks. The reason behind this is best explained by Ian MacNeill: “The computer has the ability to remember what characters look like and how they move after they’ve been created.” Now instead of drawing a character over and over again, the process becomes easier by copying the previous image. The improvement that technology has given animation has helped the business side of it and made the process more user friendly.

There are many ways to use animation software. For example, “Companies, such as Pacific Data Images and Homer and Associates, are using motion-driven animation for their graphics project” (Robertson). Different softwares exist for different purposes. If Pacific Data Images wanted to make a commercial with a lot of special effects, they would use a different software than what Disney would use for their cartoon. According to Robertson, “For companies such as Sim-graphics and Interactive personalities which create ‘live’ characters that interact with people, a system that can acquire and analyze motion data, turn it into smart directions, and render an image- all in real time- is the only choice.” Not every software can provide the preferred abilities. As with other fields in which technology has helped people, there are many types of animation software that do different tasks to help with certain necessities for an animator.

There are many forms of animation. From 3D animation to hand-drawn, they are all used for different projects. For these different objectives, different software exists. A lot of work is put into producing the cartoons that are aired on television every day. Although a lot of animation is now done on a computer, there is still an artistic element to this process. Whether hand-drawn or computer generated, the animations that have been part of the childhoods of many people are still present and have impacted people in an unforeseen way. Although the way it is done has changed, animation still holds a place in society.

Charles 3ause it is tedious. An animator who draws his or her animations by hand must draw each frame separately. However, those who created their art by hand slowly lost their jobs. In fact, “they found pencil work in other areas, but you can’t really stop doing that if that’s your life” (Hand-Drawn Animation Still Has Place in Cinema). To some people, the art of hand drawing animation is what their heart is set on. There is a lot of misunderstandings about the art and effort that is put into creating a cartoon shown on television.

Now, animation is created using the latest technology. According to MacNeill, “The process is called computer animation, and it’s a high-tech, virtual reality exercise that uses some of the most powerful computers to convince you that the computer generated imagery you are watching is the real thing.” In today’s society, everything is done electronically. Computer animation has revolutionized the world of animation with this technology. Animation has come a long way. Animations that would once take months to create would now take weeks. The reason behind this is best explained by Ian MacNeill: “The computer has the ability to remember what characters look like and how they move after they’ve been created.” Now instea